No plan to undo HEC's good deeds: Badr

The government is not planning to undo the good work done by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in the last eight years. The HEC should be protected in the best national interest, since it has achieved tremendous success, unheard of in the past.
This was stated by Senator Jahangir Badr while addressing the closing ceremony of the first international conference on "Promotion of Social Science Research in Pakistani Universities: Prospects and Challenges," held at HEC Secretariat on Wednesday. Dr Jawaid R Leghari, Chairperson HEC was also present on the occasion. He stressed the need for a uniform education system, more universities for a knowledge-based economy and a sustained funding structure for social sciences research.
"I firmly believe that the HEC should be protected in the best national interest, since it has achieved tremendous successes unheard of in the past. I would especially like to mention that the HEC is one of the few institutions in the country that has worked relatively independently and without much political interference, thus being able to maintain quality and ensure respect for merit. Once again, I assure you on behalf of PPP that no action would be taken against the institution whose creation is based on the idea given by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto," Badr said.
"Being a student of social sciences, I would first like to congratulate the HEC for successfully organising the 1st international conference on promotion of social science research in public sector universities. It is especially pleasing to note that all the major public sector universities, as well as geographic regions, of the country are represented in the conference. I am also delighted to see that the participants include vice chancellors on one hand and young faculty members and PhD scholars on the other," he added.
The participants of the three-day conference, organised under the auspices of the HEC Committee for Development of Social Sciences and Humanities, included experts in the field of social sciences in Pakistan and abroad, in addition to young faculty of social sciences and indigenous PhD scholars, who made poster presentations based on their research.
There was consensus among participants that soul of a country is reflective of liberal arts and social science. There is a crucial need to promote multidisciplinary research in social science and forge a common research agenda to meet the contemporary social, economic, political, cultural and environmental challenges of the country. There must be an inter-university consortium for expanding the role of social science research in Pakistan's public policymaking.
It was emphasised that more incentives are needed to put in place, including state-of-the-art computer laboratories, funds for travel, publications and organisation of seminars/conferences. The participants also stressed the need to train faculty in use of digital journals, English writing skills, besides improving digital library offering for social sciences. Concepts and topics such as civil society, human rights can be promoted through academic linkages and networking. Campus radios should be activated and made more functional.